gypsy

Mamadou 'Sav' SavanŤ owner of Savís Grill and Savís Chill on S. Limestone, sustained burns on 50% of his body in a cooking accident.On Tuesday, June 3, Mamadou 'Sav' SavanŤ owner of Savís Grill & West African Cuisine and Savís Chill, slipped and fell in the kitchen of his South Limestone restaurant, accidentally pulling 20 gallons of boiling peanut sauce onto his body and sustaining severe burns on 50% of his body, including his face, neck, arms and torso.

After several days in ICU, he is now healing in the University of Kentucky Medical Center. He is expected to recover, but it will be likely be several months before he can return to work. He has been in extreme physical pain and is terrified about what will happen to his businesses in his absence.

Sav performs much of the day to day labor at Savís Grill himself. This is a sole proprietorís worst nightmare. Obviously, this accident will have a major impact on his life and family businesses. Savís wife Rachel, owner of downtown jewelry store SavanŤ Silver, and their three children are working to keep the doors open.

Anyone who has ever been in Sav's restaurant can testify to the extreme effort and love that he pours into his business every day. Sav is one of the friendliest restaurateurs in town. He always takes the time to check with customers individually to see how they are enjoying their meal -- his genuine nature and love for customers contributes significantly to the charm of his restaurant. Anyone who has ever been in Sav's Grill is a friend of Sav's.

He works 7 days and no less than 70 hours a week following his dream; and has only one other employee helping him. The family will need four people to cover his tasks while he is gone. Payroll just went through the roof.

Sav DOES have medical insurance, which will help cover some of his medical costs. The funds raised in this campaign will help with additional medical costs as well as the out-of-pocket expense of keeping Savís Grill and Savís Chill in business as well as helping out Rachel during her absences from SavanŤ Silver while Sav is recovering. †

Fortunately, Sav taught his son Bangaly the family recipes served at the restaurant just last month, or the doors would already be closed. With Rachelís help, Bangaly, who is 19, will be holding it all together in his father's absence. With your donations and patronage, the doors will remain open. Savís daughter has taken on the responsibilities of Savís Chill.

The community supporting Sav will host several events to raise additional money for him in the coming weeks, the first being a "Feast of Love for SavĒ event on Monday, June 16 at the Smiley Pete Publishing Headquarters (434 Old Vine St.). Taking place from 6-10 p.m., the event will feature a "MasterChef" watch party (the show features Lexingtonian Dan Wu), with food, drinks and more. Stay tuned to this page for more details about this and other events.

In the meantime, Sav's Grill and Sav's Chill both remain open for business -- you can also show your support by continuing to patronize those establishments! † †http://bizlex.com/2014/06/fund-established-to-help-badly-burned-small-business-owner/